One way that God motivates believers do what is right is by promising to bless their obedience. This truth is seen in the book of Haggai.
In chapter 1, God speaks through Haggai to a disobedient people—a people who were meant to rebuild the temple, but for the previous 15-18 years have instead focused on their own houses and self-interests. God tells the people that He has withheld material and physical prosperity because of their neglect of the temple (Haggai 1:9-11; 2:15-17). He calls them repent of their self-centered ways and rebuild the temple (1:8), and by His grace they respond (1:14) and began rebuilding the temple! After providing further encouragement to Israel (2:1-9), and after further obedience of the people (2:10), God promises to bless the people of Israel: “from this day on I will bless you” (2:19).
God withheld blessing when Israel disobeyed and poured out blessing when they obeyed. Readers of Haggai see this aspect of God’s holy character. God is not indifferent to our heart, actions, and behavior, but commands obedience (in the heart and life) and by His grace and Spirit empowers obedience. And God blesses our obedience.
3 Important Clarifications
1 No one can earn the blessing of heaven or eternal life through their own obedience. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23) and the wages of our sin is death (Rom 6:23). Our only hope for eternal life is through the free gift of eternal life given to us in Christ and received by faith (Rom 10:9-10; Eph 2:8-9; Gal 2:16; John 3:16). Salvation is entirely a free gift, not earned by us.
2 God does not want us to obey merely to receive a blessing. We are not encouraged to have a ‘mercenary’ spirit whereby we prize the gifts of God more than God Himself. God desires us to want Him above the gifts and prize Him even as He withholds blessings and gifts.
3 There is an awe-inspiring wonder of God’s grace and mercy, which is shown in how much He blesses us despite our disobedience. We are all heirs of so many good and wonderful gifts from God that He has poured out on us, even as we have sinned in a myriad of ways. Our God is a God of incredible grace!
Blessing for Obedience as One of Many Motivations to Obey God
Calvin, in His commentary on Haggai, speaks about how God has many ways to motivate obedience in His children. Blessing for obedience is just one ‘stimulus’ that God gives, and it one that He especially uses for believers who are ‘tardy or sluggish’ in obedience—like the Israelites in Haggai’s day who for 15-18 years had not rebuilt the temple. For the believer struggling or slow to obey, God holds out the promise of blessing for obedience to help motivate and move forward in holiness. After this, God leads the believer to obey out of love, gratitude, fear of God, and other motivations.
I remember hearing a talk by Tim Keller speak about this. God gives us lots of reasons and motivations to obey and follow Him—and we need all the reasons and motivations we can get! Of course, we want to obey and follow God primarily because love and trust Him, but at times these other motivations can provide further stimulus and help as we face temptation, pressures to compromise, and difficulties to do what is right.
As a new Christian I especially was helped by the motivation of ‘blessing for obedience.’ When I gave in to old habitual sins, I experienced God’s fatherly displeasure and discipline—often in the form of a feeling distant from God and other kinds of painful and uncomfortable experiences. When I walked by the Spirit and obeyed, I experienced a joy and delight in God and a closeness to Him. Over time, I have learned more to obey more often out of love and gratitude to God and out of the ‘fear of the LORD,’ but the motivation of ‘blessing for obedience’ has continued to help. I am a New Creation, I have the Holy Spirit, I want to do what is right because I love God and others, but remembering God as a Father who disciplines my disobedience and blesses my obedience has provided further support to me when I am slow to obey.
While we need to be nuanced in how we explain this, we should be afraid to encourage obedience for blessing. It is one of the many ways God uses to help us to follow and love Him.
